More than 150 people were killed in a stampede at a Halloween event in central Seoul on Saturday night. South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol declared a period of national mourning Sunday, telling the country in a televised address that “a tragedy and disaster occurred that should not have happened”.
The Luxembourgish Prime Minister posted a message of support on his Twitter page on Sunday morning, expressing shock and sadness at the news.
On Sunday, Pope Francis prayed for victims of the stampede. Following his traditional Angelus address at Saint Peter’s Square, Francis asked the faithful to pray “for the so many, especially young people, who died last night in Seoul, the tragic consequence of the sudden crush of the crowd”.
French president Emmanuel Macron reacted quickly to the news of the tragic event on Saturday evening, sharing his condolences in Korean on Twitter:
Both the German chancellor Olaf Scholz and the newly appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdon, Rishi Sunak, expressed their sympathies on Saturday, as the news broke across the globe.
The crowd surge and crush took place in Seoul’s popular central Itaewon district, where estimates suggest as many as 100,000 people -- most in their teens and 20s -- went to celebrate Halloween Saturday night, clogging the area’s narrow alleyways and winding streets.
South Korea’s interior ministry said 153 people had died, including 20 foreigners, in the stampede, which occurred around 10 pm local time (1300 GMT).
Most of the victims were young women in their 20s, it said, adding that 133 people were injured.
An official from the defence ministry said three military personnel were among the dead.
Authorities also said they had received more than 2,600 reports of people missing.
